Before Time Calls
by jccheshire
Summary: "You're right, it is our last night together. And I don't want to destroy it by talking about a foggy future. I want to enjoy tonight. I want to talk about us, and I want to relive our memories. I want to be with you, Wally. Goofy, hungry, geeky, lovable Wally. I want to remember tonight, and all the nights before."


He sat on their couch petting their dog, Spitfire, while staring blankly at their TV. His mind was somewhere else, wandering over the endless possibilities of the outcomes. He couldn't decide which outcome to put all his hopes into. What if their plan was a success? That would mean that they would finally infiltrate Black Manta's headquarters, and maybe everything will finally end. But then that'll mean that he might lose her forever. Being in deep undercover means that he'll have no contact with her, and he wouldn't be able to hold her in his arms and stroke her sun kissed blonde hair. What if their plan failed? Dick and Kaldur might be disappointed, and another plan would have to come up shortly. But it'll also result in Artemis being out of the equation. She wouldn't be put into harm's way, and they could finally live a normal life. His thoughts were interrupted after he heard his front door open and a quiet whisper that followed.

"Hey"

Wally turned his head to face Artemis' gray eyes. He quickly scanned her for any signs of bruises or cuts. No scratches, just dirt. Not a surprise since she's been trained from a young age to become a master assassin, and her death was nothing more than a mirage.

"How'd it go?" His voice sounded weak and anxious. He didn't want to know the outcome of the fight. Knowing the outcome would mean accepting the results.

Artemis put down her rusted bow and quiver and walked over to Spitfire. She avoided Wally's question and continued to pet the laying dog. "Remember when we first got her?"

"Babe.." Wally called out, reaching out his hand towards hers. He knew exactly what she was doing. He knows her well enough to see that she was trying to avoid the conversation of her going away, trying to distract herself from even thinking about it.

Artemis ignored Wally's touch and answered her own question. "It was our first year of Stanford. We were coming home from grocery shopping and had both of our hands filled with bags." She giggled, remembering their weekly trips to the supermarket. "Then this little thing came running towards us, as if it had your speed. It knocked you over and started wrestling you for the bacon."

Wally watched her continuously petting Spitfire. A small grin was painted on his face as he remembered the homeless dog growling at his bacon. It seemed that the dog only had a distaste for him. Once Artemis picked her up in her arms, the little puppy suddenly stopped growling and started licking her face. It only took Artemis 20 minutes to convince Wally to bring the puppy home.

He looked over at the grown Spitfire, who was now drifting off to sleep. "She wouldn't let go. She might have my speed and hunger, but she's as stubborn as you."

Artemis looked over to Wally and finally gave him a smile. "She is, isn't she?"

"She's a spitfire." Wally said looking deep into Artemis' gray eyes. He was trying to find any hope in her eyes. Any hope that everything will be okay and that she'll come back soon safe. "Artemis, we have to talk about this. We can't avoid the possibilities. I don't even know how long you'll be gone for. Few weeks? A month? Four? A year?" His voice was now gradually getting louder. The thought of not seeing Artemis for months terrified him.

Artemis ignored Wally's pleads and broke off their stare returning her gaze to Spitfire. "Do you think we should get her a friend? Like another dog so she wouldn't have to be so lonely all the time?"

Wally looked at Artemis in shock. How can she be talking about buying another dog at a time like this? How can she once again ignore his questions and pretend like everything was fine? Anger was building up and the blood was rushing inside Wally. Does she not understand how dangerous everything is right now? How dangerous it is for her to even be here right now? She was suppose to be dead, what would happen if someone would walk through the door right now? Everything would be ruined and the plan would be a fail. Even though Wally wouldn't mind this happening, it still bothered him that she wasn't even acknowledging the situation they're in.

"Arty.." Wally said again, hoping to grab her attention and bring her back into reality.

Artemis was still in her wonderland and just continued on with her rambling. "Maybe we should get a pug this time. I always wanted a pug when I was little. We can name it Nelson or something."

"Artemis look at me!" Wally pounded his fist onto their coffee table, waking up a scared Spitfire. Artemis wasn't as affected but still turned her eyes onto Wally. Her face was still reading the same blank expression, contradicting Wally's furious one.

"Fine, we'll get a pug named Nelson for Spitfire, so she wouldn't be lonely anymore! But what about me? What am I going to do about my loneliness? Tonight might be the last time I see you! Do you not care that we won't be able to see each other for months, or maybe even a year? Artemis are you even there? Are you even aware of the circumstances! Don't you know -"

"Stop it." Artemis interrupted. Her voice wasn't as loud as Wally's but you can still sense the same amount of frustration. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think that I know that today might be our last day to be with each other? That what I'm doing might cost me my life? I'm not retarded, Wally. I know what is happening. I'm the one that has to turn my back on every one of you and leave. I'm leaving you, Wally! Don't you dare think that this doesn't hurt me!"

Wally sat there just staring at her. Finally she showed an emotion behind those dark gray orbs. She was scared. Terrified and worried. Wally also noticed something else in those eyes. There were tears.

Artemis refused to let those tears fall, but to her dismay they began watering down her cheeks. "I'm scared Wally, but there's nothing that we could do about it."

"Artemis, please.." Wally begged for nothing in particular, not taking his eyes off of her. He reached for her hand, but she yanked back.

"Promise me something, Wally." Artemis said, with tears still streaming down her face. Her voice was serious, but at the same time unsteady.

Wally hated seeing her like this. He hated seeing her vulnerable, and scared. This was not the Artemis he knew, and fell in love with.

"Always."

"Promise me that we won't talk about the future. We won't talk about the 'what if's', and we won't talk about anything that might happen for the next few months. Can we just pretend that none of that matters? Or even exists?"

Wally sat, shocked. He knew that Artemis didn't want to talk it, but he didn't think that she wants to block the whole thing out. Wally couldn't do that. He couldn't ignore the fact that in a few hours, she's going to be shipped off to enemy territory. "Why?" was the only thing that he was able to let out. He couldn't process all this.

"You're right, it is our last night together. And I don't want to destroy it by talking about a foggy future. I want to enjoy tonight. I want to talk about us, and I want to relive our memories. I want to be with you, Wally. Goofy, hungry, geeky, lovable Wally." Artemis grabbed Wally's hands and gave him a reassuring smile. "I want to remember tonight, and all the nights before."

Wally just continued to stare at her. It was as if she wasn't there and that this was all a dream. He felt like he's been imagining this whole thing and that he'll suddenly wake up. They sat in silence for a few more moments until Artemis let go of his hand. To her, a silence from Wally was anything but good. She took it as a "no" and decided that maybe there was no hope in their last night. It was already ruined.

Artemis stood up from the couch and turned her heel to leave. She only stopped to look back at Wally who was now just staring at his hands, still not saying a single thing. The blonde archer turned back around and headed toward their bedroom, not looking forward for her last night o be sleeping alone in a cold empty bed.

Still staring at his hands, Wally began to replay Artemis' wishes in his head. Did she really want to ignore everything? Is this what she really wanted? Wally looked at the bedroom door that was shut closed. Artemis has been there for him every step of the way. She's the one that he fell for, and amazingly enough, she fell for him too. If this is what she really wanted, he couldn't help but follow. Tomorrow can wait, and Black Manta can wait. Tonight is going to only be about a goofy speedster, and a stubborn archer.

"You know what Spitfire? For one of the fastest men alive, I'm pretty slow." Wally said as the dog just replied with a low bark.

Wally walked up to their bedroom door and knocked, hoping that Artemis isn't asleep. After no response, he tried turning the knob, only to find out that Artemis locked it. Of course she did, he thought. He repeatedly knocked again as, he placed his ear on the side of the door, trying to hear Artemis' voice.

"Go away!" Not the response he wanted.

"Babe, let me in."

"Leave alone, Wallace." Wally cringed at the sound of his full name.

"Arty, I promise. I promise that tonight we'll just ignore everything else." Wally said through the door. After a few more seconds of silence Wally tried again. "Please, Arty. I love you."

Finally, he heard the lock click and the door slightly open just enough for Artemis to peek through.

"What do you want?" Artemis said coldly.

"Come on, babe. Let me see that beautiful face of yours."

"I'm not in the mood Wallman." Artemis said, dragging out the last word.

"Artemis, you said that you didn't want to ruin tonight. Let's try not to ruin it, please?" Wally was almost at the point of begging.

After some consideration, Artemis finally stepped out of the dark room and into the hallway."Alright, you win. But just because it's our last night. We both know that normally you're not the one that wins."

Wally couldn't help but crack his goofy smile, which caused Artemis to give him a smirk.

"Hey, I just let you win all those fights." Wally joked.

"Whatever you say, baywatch." Artemis let out a snort

Wally's smile grew into a wide grin, as he picked Artemis up bridal style.

"What are you doing Wally?" Artemis asked after letting out a short gasp. If it was one thing that Artemis didn't like, it was big surprises.

"Well, you said that you wanted to relive our memories. You up for some cheap time traveling?" Wally said laughing from the expression planted on Artemis' face.

Artemis quickly turned her surprised face into a big smirk, kissing Wally on the lips. "With you? Always." Next thing she knew they were speeding out of their Palo Alto apartment, and onto the streets heading to an unknown destination.

After a few more minutes of running, Wally finally came to a stop. "We're here babe."

Artemis lifted her head off of the former Kid Flash's chest, while he gently set her on the ground. She looked around her location and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend of five years. "Your idea of time traveling is going to Lulu's Ice Cream? Wally are we here for something, or is your stomach replacing your brain?" Wally gave out a chuckle, knowing that Artemis would say that.

"Relax Miss Thing, my brain is still here." Wally laughed, tapping the side of his head.

"Then why are we here, Kid Mouth?" Artemis began to tap her foot, not enjoying the fact that Wally dragged her out of the house for ice cream. She received no answer but instead the same goofy smile that he always wears. "Why do you think Arty?"

The archer frowned, not liking the mind games. But she complied and started to think hard about why this ice cream shop was important some how. After a few seconds of thinking, Artemis' face lighten up. "Wally.." Artemis said in a lullaby tone. Instead of a smirk, she was wearing a genuine smile as she recalled why this place was so sentimental. "I can't believe you remembered our first date"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**Artemis walked through the door of Lulu's Ice Cream. "Okay Artemis, you can do this" she mumbled under her breath "it's just some ice cream with Kid Dork. Just because he kissed you doesn't mean that he's a totally new person. He's still the annoying geek he was a few days ago." She stood awkwardly by the doorway looking for Wally. Sure enough he was the only one that already had four banana splits. She let out a sigh, hoping that their date wouldn't be such a disaster. She made her way to the booth that the redhead was seated at, and cleared her throat for attention.**

**"You couldn't wait until I actually got here Baywatch?" Artemis said as she sat across from him, staring at the bowls piled up.**

**"Well if you were actually on time then maybe I wouldn't have to." the sixteen year old argued.**

**"You should be thankful that I actually showed up." The archer shot back.**

**Great, he thought, not even two minutes in and they were already bickering. Why did he think that it was such a good idea to have their first date at an Ice Cream shop?****Just before Artemis can snap back with another comment, their waitress came by to take Artemis' order. "Hi my name is Tracy and I'll be your server for today. What can I get your girlfriend?" Tracy asked looking directly at Wally.**

**Artemis hated that word. Girlfriend. It made her feel vulnerable and weak. Especially if she was the world's fastest dork's girlfriend. Plus, they've only been out on one date, it hardly meant that she was his or anything. "Oh I am_ not_ his girlfriend" Artemis answered, giving Tracy the stink eye. Artemis was one of a kind, not an object to be labeled as a girlfriend.**

**"Oh..well what can I get you?" Tracy looked offended but at the same time relieved.**

**"I'll have th-" Artemis was about to order when Wally decided to cut in.**

**"She'll have a bowl of Rocky Road." Wally paused and turned his head to lay his eyes on Artemis. "It's her favorite."**

**Artemis just stared at Wally, not even bothering to give him a glare for interrupting her. She was too busy being shock as to how Wally not only knew what she was going to order, but knew that was her favorite.**

**Tracy looked over to the empty bowls next to Wally. "And anything else for you?"**

**"What do you recommend, Tracy?" Wally asked giving her a boyish smirk which caused Tracy to blush a little.**

**"Oh, I'll get you the house special." Tracy gave Wally a wink before turning back to the kitchen, leaving behind a pissed off Artemis.**

**"What the hell was that?" Artemis exclaimed, now feeling the urge to grab one of her arrows and plunge it down Kid Flash's throat.**

**"What was what?"**

**"That..her..the wink.." Artemis felt like she had to spell everything out for him.**

**"What can I say? Ladies love the Wallman." Wally joked while playfully running his hand through his hair. When he noticed that Artemis still hasn't let down her glare, he decided to have a little fun with it. "What happened, Arty? Jealous?"**

**Artemis covered up her blush with a snort. "Jealous? As if Wallman. I'm just saying that you're being rude considering how we're on a date and all."**

**Wally's smirk faded as he remembered Artemis' comment to Tracy from before. "Are we on a date Artemis? I mean you did kind of freak out when Tracy called you my girlfriend."**

**"Well the _waitress _didn't need to know of our business. And besides, this is our first date. No need to start labeling each other." Artemis defended herself but refused to look into Wally's green eyes. She decided to turn the conversation in another direction, sensing that if they continued someone might end up getting hurt. "How did you know by the way? That Rocky Road was my favorite?" Her voice softened as she asked Wally, who was looking down at his hands.**

**"You always ate it at the cave. And after every failed mission, the first thing you did was grab a bowl of Rocky Road." Wally replied sheepishly.**

**Artemis couldn't believe that Wally actually paid attention to her habits. Even she wasn't aware that she would always eat Rocky Road as a sort of comfort. It kind of made her feel good, knowing that someone was actually paying attention to her. ****Not in the crazy stalker kind, but more like someone who actually cared. ****It made her realize that Wally really was always there for her. He was there when Red Arrow joined the team and defended her when Roy made her feel inferior. He was the one that reassured her that she has earned her place on the team. He even comforted her when she came out to the team about the roots of her family. Wally was more than just a goofball. He was caring and sweet. "Thank you" she whispered, almost too low for anyone to hear.**

**But Wally caught on and was automatically confused. Is the queen of sassy remarks actually saying thank you? "For what?"**

**"For remembering. And for giving us a chance." Artemis finally let go of her glare and gave Wally a small smile.**

**Now it was Wally's turn to return the smile. "I like you Artemis. I didn't plan on liking you when you first joined the team. I didn't even really want to be friends with you. Actually, I didn't even want you on the team. I-"**

**"Gee Kid Mouth, you really know how to complement a girl." Artemis said sarcastically, but still holding onto the smile.**

**"Just let me finish Blondie." Wally joked. "My point is, I like you Artemis. I like your snarly remarks, your pride, and especially the way you can kick ass without any powers." If Artemis was blushing before, her whole face was the color of Wally's hair once he reached over to move a strand of hair behind her ear. "I like your golden hair, and how it perfectly falls out of place over your gray eyes. I like you Artemis because you challenge me. And I challenge you back. I'm not giving us a chance. I'm giving us a story."**

**Artemis couldn't stop blushing and was turning into a whole new shade of red. "Like a fairy tale" she whispered, looking into his eyes.**

**Their moment was ruined once Tracy returned with their orders. "One for the gentleman" she said as she placed a sundae in front of Wally "and Rocky Road for the _not girlfriend_." She gave Artemis a death glare as she placed her bowl in front of her. "Oh, and before I forget. This is for you." She took out a napkin from her pocket and placed it on the table for Wally.**

**"Uh..thanks?" Wally didn't know how to respond as he opened up the folded napkin to reveal a seven digit number. Artemis looked as if she wanted to use Tracy as her shooting target.**

**"Actually," Artemis said, not trying to hide any attitude. "I _am_ his girlfriend. So he won't be needing this." She took the napkin from Wally's hand and ripped it up into pieces and a pissed Tracy walked away.**

**"So.. you're my girlfriend now?" Wally said, showing off his grin. "Does that make me your ninja boyfriend?"**

* * *

"I can't believe you actually ripped up her number right in front of her," Wally said laughing as he recalled the memory. The couple was sitting back in the ice cream shop reliving the moment with Artemis eating Rocky Road, and Wally eating everything.

"She's just lucky that I didn't take out my crossbow." Artemis laughed as she licked the ice cream off of her spoon.

"Never cross paths with Artemis Crock. I learn that the hard way."

Artemis let out a snort. "And you keep relearning it over and over."

Wally just sat there admiring Artemis, and pushed a stray hair behind her ear. The same way that he did five years ago. "So how do you like our story, Arty?"

"So far, it isn't the worst fairy tale in the world. But then again we aren't exactly like a fairy tale if you think about it. I'm defiantly not a damsel in distress, and I do not want to picture you in a suit of silver armor."

"Hey!" Wally called out laughing. "I can totally pull off a silver armor!"

Artemis let out yet another snort as she pictured Wally in a medieval suit. "I say that you should stick with the yellow and red, Kid Dork."

Wally continued to gaze at her. He didn't deserve her. No one deserved her. It was tearing him apart to think that he'll probably never see her again. No, he can't think about these things. He promised her.

"So, where to next?" Artemis asked after finishing her last spoon of ice cream.

"Why ruin the surprise? Come on" Wally picked her up in bridal style again, once they were outside the shop.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**"I'd rather fight Count Vertigo then go through this - ouch!" Wally fell back first on the ice below him. Being a speedster had its quirks. You can run faster than any car, train, or bullet. But the one thing you cannot run on? Ice. Especially on skates.**

**"Oh how the mighty Wallman has fallen," Artemis joked as she skied her way over to a struggling Wally. "Come on Wally, what happened to 'I'm Kid Flash, this ice is nothing. I'm like the king of ice'. What happened to your majesty?" Wally groaned as Artemis mocked him. He was wrong about ice skating - it was definitely harder than anyone makes it out to be.**

**"You know babe, a little help would be appreciated."**

**"Gasp, the king dares to ask for help from a peasant?" Artemis grabbed Wally's arm and tried to pull him up without falling backwards. "It's not that hard. Think of it as running, but on ice."  
**

**"I don't know what kind of ice you've been running on, but when I run on ice I usually end up falling on my ass." Wally once again struggled to gain balance on the ice, only to end up knocking over both him and Artemis.**

**"Ugh, get off me Wally!" Artemis demanded**

**"I don't know Arty. I kind of like this position." Wally joked before giving a quick kiss on the archer's lips and then rolling off.**

**"Alright, let's try this again. This time, try not to fall." Artemis said, dusting off the ice on her pants.**

**Each time they skated, it would end with Wally falling flat on his face, and Artemis mocking him for it. Wally finally decided that it was time for him to take a break and grab them two cups of hot chocolate. When he came back he couldn't help but notice how happy Artemis looked on the ice. He didn't want to interrupt the joy on her face so he just sat down on the bleacher, and watched her skate. She looked beyond beautiful as her blonde hair swayed behind her. How was it that a lucky kid like him ended up deserving someone like Artemis? Wally couldn't take his eyes off of her and smiled once he caught her eye. God, did he love her smile. Especially when he's the reason for it all - her smile, her giggles, her laugh, even her sarcasm. She had a gorgeous smile. It made him felt special knowing that he was the only one that could make her smile like that. ****And the way that she made him smile was unbelievable. She made him feel like he could do anything, be anyone. Like he was more than just a seventeen year old kid, or The Flash's sidekick. She made him feel good about himself, and made him believe in himself. He liked how he was around her, like he didn't have to hide anything or pretend to be something that he wasn't. Then something in his mind just hit him.**

**He was in love with her.**

** He was in love with Artemis Crock. He loved her attitude, and sarcasm. Her blonde hair and gray eyes. Her beauty and brains. The way that she doesn't know any childhood lullaby because of her shattered childhood. But yet, she still has more courage than anyone he knows. This was the girl that could kill you in over 50 ways, and make it look as though it was an accident. Yet, she decided to part from her family's history and fight for good. He loves how Artemis was a secret fan of fairy tales, especially Alice in Wonderland. He loved the way that she would never let him get away with anything. He loved her because she was Artemis Crock, an individual. He loved her because she was his spitfire.**

**When Wally finally gathered his thoughts together, Artemis was already standing right in front of him. "Earth to Baywatch, anybody home?"**

**Wally just stared at her, still shocked that he admitted to himself that he loved this girl.**

**"Wally?" Artemis was now getting worried. He was staring at her as if she was an alien from another planet. "Is everything okay?"**

_**Snap out of it Wally. Snap out of it. Just because you love her does not change anything. Oh what am I saying, it changes everything! Okay just say something. She's staring at you. Say something. Anything. Just open your mouth.**_

**"I LOVE YOU." Wally blurted out and immediately clasped his hands over his mouth. _Nice going West._**

**Artemis now had her eyes bugging out of her head. "Y-you what?"**

**Wally just continued to stare at her. What has he done? Did he just completely ruin their whole relationship? He gathered up his thoughts and returned his heart pace back to normal.**

**"I love you, Artemis. And to tell you the truth - it's kind of scary." Wally waited for any sign of response from the blonde archer. Nothing. He decided to try to get everything back to normal, whatever that was. "Artemis.. you don't have to say it back. Take whatever time you need. I just want you to know that I love you. I am completely vulnerably in love with you. If you don't feel the same way, then that's okay. You don't have to say anyth-"**

**Artemis pressed her lips onto Wally's, much to his surprise. When they broke apart, Artemis finally responded back to Wally's declaration.**

**"Thank you. Thank you for loving me, Wally. And thank you for giving me time to say it back. I will say it back one day, I just need time."**

**"Babe, take all the time you need." Wally kissed her again with full passion. He felt like a new man, like he was invincible. He felt like a man that has fallen in love with the right girl.**

* * *

"Seriously Wally? It's been four years and you still can't ice skate?" Wally managed to sneak both of them into the ice rink and allow them to have their own private session.

"Teaching a West how to skate is like teaching a fish how to drive." Wally fell on his face, just like he did for the past four years.

"Teaching a rock how to drive will be easier." Artemis started skiing circles around a fallen Wally, mocking him endlessly. Wally instead pulled on Artemis' leg, bringing her down on top of him.

"Gee babe, I knew that you'll always fall for me." Wally winked while Artemis rolled her eyes at his lame pick up line.

"But I did, didn't I?" Artemis looked into his green eyes. She could never get over what a beautiful shade of green they were.

"Yeah, and it only took a near death experience." Wally pulled her closer to him, remembering what finally made her say the three words.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**Artemis ran through the emergency doors, tears streaming down her face. This was not happening, she thought, this can't be. There was no way that this was real. This was a dream and she'll wake up soon. She'll wake up and everything would be back to normal. Everything would be fine. He would be fine.**

**"Dick!" Artemis caught sight of the fifteen year old boy wonder. "Where is he, dick? What happened? Is he going to be fine?"**

**"Artemis relax!" Batman's protege tried to calm her down. "Wally's stable at the moment, but he's sleeping right now. One of Bane's thugs just came out of no where. He seemed fine at the moment, but after Bane and everyone was arrested.."**

**"What?" Artemis exclaimed, not even bothering to use an indoor voice. "What happened Dick?"**

**"He just dropped, Artemis.."**

**"Oh my god. Where is he now? I have to see him."**

**Dick pointed his finger at the room at the end of the hall. Artemis felt her heart beating faster and her eyes getting more watery. ****She opened the door to his room and walked in. There he was, sound asleep, with a cast on his arm and bandages over his head.**

**"Hey Baywatch.." Artemis felt weird talking to a sleeping body. But this sleeping body was her boyfriend - it was Wally. Everything felt normal whenever she was near him. Everything felt normal and safe. "You better hope that you're alright Wally. Because if you are, then I won't feel so guilty about beating up your ass for being so careless."  
**

**She stroked his hair and grabbed his hand. He looked so at peace, almost like an angel - besides all the bandages and casts.**

**"You better wake up Wally. You have to get better. I need you to get better. If anything ever happened to you.." She was getting all choked up and the tears began to come faster. She looked like such a mess right now, but she didn't care one bit. "..I don't know how I'll be, Wally. I don't think I can face anything anymore. I need you to help me smile and laugh like a moron. I need you to hold me when I have nightmares, and stroke my hair while you tell me that everything will be alright. I need you to kiss me when I'm rambling, and hug me when I'm scared. Just wake up and give me that goofy smile of yours, okay? Then we can go out and eat at your favorite restaurants."**

**"What am I going to do without you? Who's going to bicker with me over what movie to watch? ****Who's going to come to all my archery meets and embarrass me by holding up ridiculous signs?****"**

**She started sobbing into Wally's chest, still holding onto his hand. ****"****Challenge me? Bring out the best in me? Who's going to love me like you do, Wally? I need you. I love you, Wally. I love you."**

**All of a sudden, Artemis felt his hand give her a tight squeeze, and heard a chuckle above her. "Wow Arty. It took me being in the hospital to make you admit you love me?" It was his voice. His laugh. His touch. He was awake.**

**"Wally," was the only thing that Artemis can say before pressing her lips onto his. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, jerk."**

**"Trust me babe," a bandaged Wally said, "It'll take a million Batmans to make me leave you."**

**Artemis smiled because she knew that no matter how damaged he was, Wally will never break his sense of humor.**

**"I love you Wally"**

* * *

Artemis and Wally were now strolling down the park, hand in hand. The park was quiet and empty, mainly because it was past midnight. The couple just walked in silence, completely comfortable with it. They just took in the moment of being with each other in peace. The moon shined brightly over the park, along with several bright stars. Everything was perfect.

Artemis was the first one to break the silence. "Remember the time I tried to make you pancakes?"

Wally shuddered at the thought of the memory. "You're a superhero that has placed many top criminals in jail, stopped numerous robberies, a member of one of the top covert teams, and a master archer who could shoot a bulls eye from the top of the roof, yet you can't stop making a fire from an oven."

Artemis playfully punched Wally's arm in response. "Hey, give me some credit. I didn't completely burn down our house."

"Yeah just our kitchen. We just moved in two months ago, and we already pissed off the landlord by almost burning down our house."

Artemis started laughing loudly, remembering the look on the old man's face when the fire fighters arrived. "At least he was nice enough to let us stay. I couldn't imagine living off somewhere else."

Wally had to agree. Their house wasn't the most luxurious place to live, but it was small and cozy. It was a place for them to call a home.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**"You want to what?" Barry Allen's voice struck through the house, piercing through Wally and Artemis' ears.**

**"They want to move in together, Barry." His wife Iris repeated.**

**"Why in the world would two eighteen year olds want to move in together? Actually, scratch that. I do know why two teenagers want to live together, and I won't agree to it. You guys are still young, there is no need to rush things. Wait until after marriage."**

**"UNCLE BARRY!" Now it was Wally's voice that rang throughout the house. He knew 100 percent that the current Flash was not talking about moving in together anymore. "Me and Artemis do not want to move in together just to have sex!"**

**"Of course not, sweetie. But we still don't think that it's a good idea to live together so young." Iris tried to reason with her nephew "What do your parents even say about this?"**

**"Mom and Dad are actually happy that I'm getting out of the house for college. They said that Stanford is a great place to be and that I should seize every opportunity. Moving in with Artemis is an opportunity that I'm going to seize."**

**Iris placed a hand on Wally's arm. He wasn't that little kid that would carry around a Flash action doll anymore, he was a grown eighteen year old who didn't need parents permission anymore, let alone his aunts. "And we love Artemis, we really do. Artemis, honey, you're the only thing he'll ever talk about and we just love his smile at the mention of your name."**

**"Oh? I didn't know that I was a household name around here." Artemis couldn't help but let out a little giggle. It was nice knowing that Wally bragged about her to his family.**

**"Listen, kiddo. Just please tell us why you guys want to do this? It's bad enough that I can't keep an eye on you, imagine how Green Arrow is feeling." Barry scratched the back of his neck, knowing that Oliver would do whatever he can to make sure nothing happens to his new protege.**

**Wally just looked over at Artemis and gave her a small smile. He grab her hand and gave it a little squeeze as he turned back to face his uncle. "I love her."**

**"That's great, Wally but-" Iris was interrupted by Wally who was continuing on with his speech.**

**"I love her, and I want to spend every day with her." Wally now faced back to Artemis as he continued. "I want to eat every breakfast with her, and every dinner with her. I want her to be the first thing that I see in the morning, and the last I see at night. I just want to be with her."**

**Artemis felt her face heating up again. She looked deep into his eyes and knew that everything he was saying was true. "And I love him. I want to hear his laugh everyday, and wake up from is snoring. I want to spend rainy days with him cuddled up on the couch, watching horrible chick flicks that neither one of us enjoy. I want to come home everyday and see his smile."**

**Barry let out a heavy sigh and wrapped his arm around his wife. "They're in love, Iris. Even a blind cat can see that. If you two really want to move in together, you guys have our blessing."**

**"Just please call us everyday and don't make me a grandaunt before I become a mother." Iris teased.**

* * *

Artemis rummaged through her pocket for her keys. It was 5 AM in the morning and the "cheap time traveling" has made her exhausted. Once she managed to get the door open, she quickly jumped onto the couch. "You always knew how to show a girl a good time, Wally."

Wally came in after her but didn't wear the same tired expression as her. Instead, his face was serious causing Artemis to frown, because she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Artemis.." Wally began before getting cut off.

"You promised Wally. You promised that we wouldn't do this."

Wally just looked down at Artemis hard. "I can't do this, Arty. I can't not talk about what might happen. We spent a good five hours pretending that the rest of the world does not exist. It's time to come back into reality, Artemis. We need this talk. I need it."

Artemis could feel tears gathering up in her eyes. She hated to admit it, but she can't run away any longer. She had to face the fact that her Wonderland is damaged. "I'm scared."

Wally sat next to her and held her in his arms, just embracing her and taking in her scent. "I know babe, I know."

"We'll make it through this. We always do."

They just sat there for another half n' hour, just holding each other. Wally didn't want this moment to end, but it had to. Nothing lasted forever. He felt Artemis' grip loosen up, and realized that she drifted off to sleep. He carried her to their bedroom and laid her down on their bed. She looked like she was at ease. She looked innocent and beautiful. He didn't want anything to happen to her, physically or emotionally. He would gladly give up his life just for hers, without any hesitation at all. He loved her. He was greatly in love with her, that it still scared him how much he can care for one human being.

Wally decided that he knew what he needed to do. He slowly sneaked out of their bedroom and reached for his coat. He left some water out for Spitfire and grabbed his wallet and keys, before quietly exiting through the front door.

A few hours later, Artemis was woken up from the smell of pancakes. She sat up on the queen sized bed, rubbing her eyes. She was still too exhausted from her and Wally's little trip. Artemis looked next to her to find Wally's side of the mattress empty. Was that Wally cooking out there? Confused, Artemis slowly walked out into the dining room.

There he was, sitting in front of a plate of pancakes. "Morning Sleepy Beauty. Any minute later, and I probably would have finished everything." Wally walked up to Artemis and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

"Wally what is this? Did you even sleep at all?" She noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes, along with the tired tone in his voice.

"I actually couldn't sleep. I had to run an errand."

Artemis eyed him suspiciously. Who runs an errand so early in the morning? Their _last_ morning together. "What kind of errand?"

Wally gave her a smirk and kissed her forehead again, before getting down on one knee. He opened a velvet box to reveal a small diamond ring.

"Oh my god, Wally what are you doing?" Artemis was looking frantically around the dining room, trying to see if there were any hidden cameras.

"Artemis, I love you. Five years together is a long time. Five birthdays, Christmas', Thanksgivings, four forgotten Valentines day." Wally chuckled remembering the amount of times he had to sleep on the couch because he forgot Valentines Day. "Those five years were the best years of my life. And I'm not just saying that because it's the cliche thing to say when someone's proposing. On our first date, I told you that I wasn't giving us a chance. I was giving us a story - our story. But the thing I hate about stories? They always end no matter what. Why does our story have to end today, or any other day? Artemis, I never want our story to end. I want our story to continue on, as husband and wife. Artemis Crock, will you marry me?"

Artemis was in tears again, cursing the fact that Wally made her cry so much in just two days. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. No matter how much time changed, Wally didn't. He always continued to make her smile and laugh, and remind her that there are good people in the world. Amazing ones if their name was Wally West.

She bent down so she was at eye level with him, and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Wally broke off the kiss and grinned at her. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Yes! Always! But ugh, Wally. Give a girl a warning next time!" Artemis was laughing as Wally slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Well, now you have an excuse to hurry up and come home."

"Wally, you were always my excuse. You'll always be my home."

Wally moved the stray hair out of her eyes so he can look into them. "I love you Artemis."

"I love you too."

They just sat on the dining room floor embracing one another, sharing kisses in between. They didn't care about what was going to happen later today, or what might happen in the next couple of months. None of that mattered to them anymore. Reality could wait. Right now, it was just about the two of them, and their story.


End file.
